About Us
Our Mission
To improve health by providing high quality, compassionate and personalized care.
Our Vision
To be the region's preferred health system providing exceptional, high-value care.
Our Values
Integrity, Compassion, Adaptability, Respect, Excellence with Joy
At Riverwood, we take immense pride in being a cornerstone of healthcare for our rural communities, offering not only the compassionate, neighborly care you’d expect but also the cutting-edge medical expertise you might only anticipate in a big city. Our dedicated team of providers combines advanced technology with a personal touch, ensuring that every patient receives exceptional care close to home. From comprehensive specialties to innovative treatments, we’re here to deliver more than healthcare—we’re here to deliver hope, healing, and a connection that only a community like ours can provide.
Riverwood at a glance
Riverwood Healthcare Center is home to a dedicated team of over 525 caregivers, all united by a shared commitment to delivering high-quality, compassionate, and personalized care. Guided by our ICARE values—Integrity, Compassion, Adaptability, Respect, and Excellence infused with Joy—our team works tirelessly to provide an exceptional patient experience. Together, we foster a community of care that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve.
At Riverwood, we provide trusted, comprehensive medical care for every stage of life at our three primary care clinics in Aitkin, Garrison, and McGregor. Our dedicated team of family and internal medicine physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners offers expert care—from treating acute and chronic conditions to delivering preventive services tailored to your unique health needs.
We go beyond treating illnesses by emphasizing preventive care, including regular checkups, health assessments, vaccinations, and screenings. Our team also provides personalized guidance for healthy living and expert management of chronic conditions. By working closely with Riverwood specialists, we ensure seamless, coordinated care to support your long-term health and well-being.
Riverwood Healthcare Center thrives on the expertise of our dedicated physicians, advanced practitioners, and compassionate staff, strengthened by partnerships with leading healthcare organizations. Together, we provide comprehensive, advanced care—close to home.
With a team of more than 40 specialists, we offer exceptional services in cardiology, general surgery, orthopedics, oncology, obstetrics and gynecology, interventional spine, urology, and more—all conveniently available in Aitkin.
Our team of four fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons specializes in advanced treatment for hip and knee, shoulder, elbow, hand, wrist, and spine conditions and procedures. With a comprehensive, patient-centered approach, they combine cutting-edge techniques with personalized care to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Rapid Recovery, an innovative joint replacement protocol developed by Dr. Erik Severson and introduced in 2013, enhances recovery by reducing pain and accelerating healing. Additionally, robotic-assisted and computer-guided technology ensure precision in joint replacements and advanced surgical procedures, helping patients return to their active lifestyles faster.
In August 2024, Riverwood Healthcare Center opened a 70,000-square-foot surgery expansion at its Aitkin hospital. Six cutting-edge surgical suites, designed for accommodating robotic and other advanced technologies, support the highest standard of care and an outstanding patient care and recovery experience. A standout feature is the advanced imaging suite, or hybrid operating room—a fully equipped surgical space integrated with high-tech x-ray equipment that allows imaging at the point of surgery. This unique setup enables surgeons to perform complex procedures previously requiring travel to much larger medical centers.
The state-of-the-art surgery wing also includes an outpatient clinic for general surgery and a few other specialty services with two procedure rooms and three endoscopy suites.
Riverwood Healthcare Center is a Level III Trauma Center (since 2006) with highly skilled physicians and nurses, and surgical care available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Other designations include Comprehensive Advanced Life Support (CALS) Hospital (since 2008) and an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital (since 2015).
Our emergency medical staff has the latest training and technology to provide the highest level of emergency medical service. All our emergency providers maintain certifications in advanced cardiac and trauma care.
Riverwood’s emergency care earned the 2020 Press Ganey 2020 Guardian of Excellence Award®. This award recognizes top-performing health care organizations that have achieved the 95th percentile or above for performance on patient experience.
Riverwood’s on-site helipad offers fast transfer of patients who need additional care outside of our facility. Our emergency team provides the initial evaluation and stabilization for any medical problem or injury. Diagnoses that typically require air lift service: heart attacks, stroke, and trauma injuries.
In partnership with Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute, Riverwood Healthcare Center offers a full range of treatment for cardiovascular disease. Cardiologists are highly skilled in diagnosing and treating disorders of the heart and blood vessels, including coronary artery disease, heart failure and valve disease.
Riverwood is designated as a Level 1 Heart Attack Program Hospital in collaboration with Abbott-Northwestern Hospital. Heart attack patients are fast tracked via medical air transport for coronary angioplasty to open blocked blood vessels to the heart at Abbott-Northwestern in Minneapolis.
At Riverwood Healthcare, we offer a full range of therapy services, including cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Our staff includes therapists who specialize in pediatric therapy.
Cardiopulmonary care covers a range of conditions that affect the heart and lungs, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure and cardiac arrythmia (irregular heartbeat). Our team offers therapy services to help enhance your body’s function and ability in daily tasks.
With physical therapy to improve mobility and strength, we help patients get back to the activities of life they enjoy after injury or illness. We work with patients of all ages, on both an inpatient and outpatient basis, to treat conditions ranging from acute illnesses to sports and work-related injuries.
Occupational therapy helps those whose lives have been disrupted by injury, disease, the aging process, or developmental problems. The fundamental goal of therapy is to use purposeful activities or interventions that will help restore independent and meaningful lives.
We offer a variety of speech-language pathology services to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, voice, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults. Speech therapy can help adult patients affected by stroke, brain injury, dementia, swallowing difficulties, head/neck cancer, or vocal abuse/illness. Patients with diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and ALS can benefit too.
Riverwood Healthcare Center is a strong, committed supporter of the communities we serve in Aitkin County and the surrounding areas, including Garrison and Mille Lacs Lake. Riverwood Foundation has a rich tradition of grassroots, community fundraising support dating back to the 1950’s. Throughout our organization’s history, the Foundation has continued to raise money for our hospital and clinics to improve the quality of care for the communities we serve.
View our 2023 Annual Report
We are a strong committed supporter in the communities we serve. To fill out the Community Grant Application CLICK HERE
For seven years—2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2025—Riverwood has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the nation by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. This distinction, based on the Hospital Strength Index, evaluates hospitals across 60 performance metrics, including quality, patient outcomes, experience, affordability, and efficiency. The National Rural Health Association announces the winners and honors them at its annual conference, celebrating the essential role these hospitals play in providing high-quality care to rural communities.
2024 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award – Human Experience Award Winner
Press Ganey 2020 Guardian of Excellence Award Winner – Nationally Recognized for Emergency Care
Drawing on the Top 100 Critical Access Hospital list, Riverwood was recognized as a Top 20 Critical Access Hospital (CAHs) from 1,346 peer hospitals nationwide and 78 in Minnesota for two consecutive years, 2017 and 2018. Top 20 CAHs have achieved success in the overall performance based on a composite rating from eight indices of strength: quality, outcomes, patient perspectives, cost, charge and financial stability, inpatient market share, and outpatient market share. The National Rural Health Association announces the winners and recognizes each with an award at its annual conference.
In 2012, for the 5th year in a row, HealthGrades has given Riverwood a 5-star rating for excellent total hip replacement outcomes. This means patients who have joint replacements at our hospital experience few or no complications. HealthGrades’ report found that patients treated at 5-star rated hospitals experience a 73% lower risk of mortality and a 63% lower risk of complications.